AAC Football

University of Houston defensive lineman Sedrick Williams will not play in the 2020 season because of heart complications related to COVID-19. 

In a post on Facebook, Williams said:

"I’ve had my mind made up for a min now , but hearing this story made it even easier ... As a result of the virus I’ve had complications with my heart and I really don’t know the outcome or what’s in store for me in the future , I just know that my life is more precious to me than football could ever be ... I’VE DECIDED TO OPT OUT OF THE 2020 FOOTBALL SEASON due to these complications ... I won’t take this year for granted , IM COMING BACK BIGGER , FASTER , & STRONGER than EVER ...
If you support my decision , thank you . If you don’t support my decision , thank you ."

Williams, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in July, said the death of basketball player Michael Ojo helped spur his decision. Ojo died last week after having a heart attack in practice. He was 27.

Williams is a transfer student from Kilgore College, where he was named Southwest Junior College Football Conference Most Valuable Player in 2019. The pass-rushing specialist recorded 48 tackles and seven sacks, along with 18 quarterback hurries, last season.

Williams will be able to take a redshirt this season and have two years of eligibility remaining at Houston. 

Memphis Tigers head coach Ryan Silverfield announced earlier this week that the football team would wear "Black Lives Matters" decals on their helmets this season, and one of the program's backers reportedly said he'd help negate any financial impact the decision might create.    

On Friday, The Athletic's John Martin reported a booster said he would match and then double any donations the school may lose as a result of the decals. 

It's unclear if the school has already lost any financial commitments because of the move.

Speaking to Martin shortly after he announced the team would wear the stickers all season, Silverfield said it was his responsibility to stand with his players:

“People are entitled to their beliefs, their rights, their thoughts, their feelings. My job here is to serve our student-athletes. It's something we discussed with the university and the players and we felt it's the right thing to do at this time. People are gonna be unhappy. They weren't happy when I sent previous tweets. They weren't happy with some of the recruits I've taken. They weren't happy with the unity march. They weren't happy with my calls during the Cotton Bowl. We're always gonna be criticized for decisions. But we've got to be there for the players, continue to grow, and make steps in the right direction.”

The coach added he felt it was necessary to continue to support social justice reform, saying it "can't just be a one-time thing where I send out a tweet or have one unity march. It's got to be ongoing."

Silverfield, 39, has been with Memphis since 2016, when he joined the Tigers as an assistant coach. He was elevated to assistant head coach in 2019 and took over the program last December following the departure of Mike Norvell to Florida State. 

University of Memphis president Dr. M. David Rudd, a veteran of the Gulf War, issued a statement of support Thursday.

"The exercise of free speech is essential to a representative republic," Rudd wrote in part. "I support our athletic department, our head coach and our football team. I am proud of our young men for demonstrating leadership, encouraging civility and for their genuine efforts to unite us so our University of Memphis family can become stronger together."

Navy announced Friday its Sept. 12 football game against Lafayette has been canceled. 

Lafayette College made the decision, determining it wouldn't have enough time to prepare for the game once football players are brought onto campus.

Navy is attempting to find a new opponent for that date.

It's the second time the Midshipmen have been forced to adjust their schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic. The squad was expected to face Notre Dame in Ireland on Aug. 29, but the game was moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and will now take place Sept. 5.

The NCAA allowed players to participate in team activities beginning in early June, but the Patriot League announced student-athletes cannot return to campus until the rest of the student body does, per Keith Groller of the Morning Call.

Classes aren't scheduled to begin at Lafayette until Aug. 17.

The Leopards were originally slated to start their season on Sept. 5 against Sacred Heart. The team's next game is currently a Sept. 19 home matchup against William & Mary.

Meanwhile, Navy now has an 11-game schedule, with eight games against fellow AAC squads, two against military academies (Army and Air Force) and the one against Notre Dame. The Lafayette battle was the only matchup scheduled against an FCS opponent.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has already created some changes to the college football season, NCAA president Mark Emmert said recently "we are likely to have football" in the fall, per Seth Davis of The Athletic.

The University of Memphis football team will continue to support those protesting against systemic racism and police brutality across the country by wearing a "Black Lives Matter" decal on its helmet this season.

Tigers head coach Ryan Silverfield announced the decision in a tweet that showed the placement of the stickers on the back of players' helmets. 

Silverfield said students will wear the decals for every game, adding the hashtag #ALLINagainstRACIALINJUSTICE. 

College football programs—and players in particular—have found a strong footing in the fight against systemic racism. 

One of the most prominent voices in getting the state of Mississippi to remove Confederate imagery from its flag was Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill, who threatened to transfer from the program if the flag wasn't changed. 

That followed an announcement from the Southeastern Conference in which the league said it would consider precluding championship events from taking place in the state unless the flag was changed. 

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday to retire the current flag after the state's House of Representatives and Senate quickly voted it through each chamber.

Elsewhere in college sports, student-athletes at Texas and Kansas State have threatened to boycott numerous team events if their schools did not take appropriate steps to address systemic racism on campus. 

The uprisings on campuses across the country show a changing power dynamic in the college sports landscape in which players are taking matters of civil justice mainstream by leveraging their platforms. 

In Memphis, the football team is apparently trying to make sure those conversations continue throughout the upcoming season and using the Black Lives Matter decals as a catalyst to help ensure the topic of systemic racism remains on the forefront after play resumes. 

The season will be the first for Silverfield as head coach after taking over for Mike Norvell in December following his predecessor's move to Florida State. 

The University of Houston has suspended all voluntary workouts after six athletes tested positive for COVID-19.  

Per an official release from the school, the suspension is effective immediately and all six players who tested positive were symptomatic and are now in isolation:

Houston student-athletes were allowed back on campus for voluntary workouts starting on June 1. 

"The health of our student-athletes and staff will continue to be our top priority as we implement this phased approach," athletic director Chris Pezman told Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle on May 30.

Per Duarte, the university did not test athletes who took part in workouts unless they were experiencing symptoms. 

The University of Houston announced on March 12 it was suspending classes on campus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Students returned to class, either online or in an alternate format, on March 23, but athletic activities remained suspended. 

The NCAA Division I Council voted on May 20 to allow voluntary on-campus workouts for student-athletes in football and men's and women's basketball effective June 1. 

UCF announced Tuesday that three football players have tested positive for the coronavirus:

The NCAA allowed players to return to campus June 1 after months away because of the ongoing pandemic, and UCF opened the doors for athletes right away. A reported 60 players were in attendance for voluntary workouts and each was tested, resulting in three positives.

The three players will be placed in isolation for two weeks, while those in direct contact with the players over the last two weeks have been notified.

Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton reportedly had a health scare in May when he had a slight fever and his throat hurt, but his COVID-19 test came back negative, according to Andrea Adelson and Heather Dinich of ESPN.

"It was terrible," he said of the test process, "but better safe than sorry."

The school announced last month all players would be tested as part of a reorientation week. There are other safety measures in place, including masks for support staff and additional cleaning of facilities.

UCF vice president and athletics director Danny White provided an update on the process:

"Certainly health and safety are our number-one priorities and are at the core of every element involved as we take the first step forward in terms of a return to college athletics, while at the same time being ever mindful of the challenges posed by COVID-19.

"Our staff has been consulting regularly with national health experts, as well as colleagues within our league (American Athletic Conference) and locally with Orlando Health. We are committed to keeping student-athletes, staff, coaches, campus and the community as safe as possible amid the pandemic. We expect flexibility to be required as we navigate multiple new sets of circumstances."

With multiple players testing positive, the program must be extra vigilant to keep everyone safe.

Urban Meyer has remained out of college football since announcing his retirement in December 2018, but his son is carrying on the family legacy.

Nate Meyer joined the Cincinnati football team as a walk-on wide receiver, head coach Luke Fickell confirmed to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel on Wednesday.

Fickell added that he projects Nate to be a special teams player after the 21-year-old sophomore had been a scholarship baseball player at Cincinnati, while Thamel noted that Nate's decision to switch stems from wanting "to better prepare himself for his goal of becoming a college football coach, as he's hoping to follow in his father's footsteps."

Nate was an outfielder for the Bearcats baseball team. He earned AAC All-Academic Team honors and played 22 games as a freshman in 2019. He announced his commitment to Cincinnati in January 2017:

Per Thamel, Nate was inspired to pursue a career in football coaching after he trained with the Ohio State football team prior to his freshman year.

Urban relayed to Thamel what his son told him in fall 2018: "Dad, I made a decision. I changed my major to psychology like you were and I want to be a football coach. I thought, 'Oh boy.'"

Nate won't be like most walk-ons, as he has known Fickell since he was 12 years old. Fickell is entering his fourth year as Cincinnati's head coach. The program went 4-8 in 2017 before vastly improving to 11-2 in 2018 and 11-3 last season.

Alec Pierce's 652 yards and Josiah Deguara's seven touchdowns led the Bearcats' receiving corps. Pierce will be a junior in 2020, while the Green Bay Packers selected Deguara in the third round of April's NFL draft.

University of Connecticut President Thomas Katsouleas issued a statement clarifying he has no "inside knowledge" that fall sports will be canceled.

The statement, which Yahoo Sports shared, begins with Katsouleas explaining he was speaking to a journalism class at the school and suggested fall sports will likely be canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

However, he clarified "This was not based on any inside knowledge or discussions of the subject, and was nothing more than speculation. No decisions have been made about fall sports and when they are made, we will look to the NCAA and our conference to take the lead on those choices."

Katsouleas also said the "hope" is games will be played.

The sports world has largely been on hold for more than a month amid COVID-19 concerns, but one of the most jarring developments in March was when the NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring championships.

In addition to spring regular seasons, headlining events such as the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments and the College World Series were canceled.

There have been no official announcements regarding plans to cancel or postpone football, which is the marquee fall sport across much of the country. College Football Playoff director Bill Hancock told ESPN's Heather Dinich earlier this month, "We're planning on a CFP. That's what our staff is doing as we speak. Planning for it on time."

He also said it was "premature" to speculate about the fate of the season since it starts in the fall and it is only April.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported April 9 that there is "strong conviction" among people "in and around college football" that there will be a 2020 season. However, there is "uncertainty" regarding when that season would happen with "multiple scenarios being debated."

That could mean shortening the season, changing the timeline or perhaps even pushing it back until the beginning of the 2021 calendar year and playing more of a spring season.

College football's immediate future, like much of sports, is still up in the air, but Katsouleas made sure to clarify he does not have any inside information at this time.

David Forney, a senior offensive lineman at Navy, died Thursday at the age of 22.

Per an official statement from Navy, Forney was found unresponsive in the Bancroft Hall dormitory.

"Words cannot express our pain and sorrow," Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "First and foremost, our deepest condolences to the Forney family. The Navy Football Brotherhood is not a team, we are a family. We are devastated to have lost one of our brothers. We all loved⁠—and will always love⁠—David. We pray for strength during this most difficult time."

No official cause of death has been determined at this point.

Forney was set to graduate from the United States Naval Academy in May. The Walkersville, Maryland, native played four seasons with the Midshipmen after graduating from Georgetown Preparatory School. He was one of three Navy players named to the American Athletic Conference first-team in 2019.    

After not appearing in a game as a freshman, Forney played his way into the lineup on special teams in 2017 and started the final two games at guard.

He appeared in all 39 of Navy's games over the past three seasons and became a full-time starter on the offensive line as a senior.

Houston has dismissed linebacker Eyabi Anoma from the program due to a violation of team rules, according to Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN. 

The sophomore didn't play a game for the Cougars, sitting out the 2019 season as a transfer after beginning his career with Alabama.

Anoma entered college with huge expectations as a 5-star recruit and No. 4 overall player in the 2018 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. He saw action early in his career with the Crimson Tide, earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors after totaling nine tackles including two for a loss.

However, he entered the transfer portal last July due to off-field problems.

According to Matt Zenitz of AL.com, Anoma left the school after a "university level issue" arose ahead of his freshman season.

Though he got a second chance with Houston, he's now been dismissed from a second program. The 6'5", 235-pound Baltimore native could now have a difficult time finding a new destination regardless of his football talent.

It's also a significant loss for the Cougars, who were likely expecting a significant impact from the pass-rusher in 2020.

Houston finished last season 4-8 in the first year under Dana Holgorsen and already saw projected starting quarterback D'Eriq King transfer to Miami. After losing another key player, the squad could struggle to turn things around next season.